This invention relates generally to control of television receivers and specifically to means for providing on-screen control of television receiver functions. It is well known to control the operation of a television receiver by means of IR (infrared) control signals received from a remote transmitter. Some control systems include on-screen menu displays for accessing television functions such as volume, color tint, etc., and for facilitating receiver set up, initialization or the like. The user is presented with a variety of listed options that are overlayed on the normal video display and which are selectable by operation of the appropriate keys or buttons on a remote transmitter.
In the computer field, it is well known to move a "mouse" over a pad to control movement of a cursor that is displayed on the computer screen. X,Y displacement information, related to movement of the mouse, is supplied to the computer and results in corresponding movement of the on-screen cursor. One or more buttons on the mouse may be depressed by the user to "drag an icon" and to activate the function selected or accessed by the cursor. The mouse, which contains a trackball arrangement, is hard-wired to the computer.
The present invention relates to a system for controlling various functions of a television receiver with an on-screen cursor that is controlled by a trackball arrangement. Cursor movement is responsive to transmitted IR position signals.
In one aspect of the invention claimed in copending application Ser. No. 347,747 above, a hand-held remote transmitter provides trackball X,Y displacement information, keyboard entry information, means for monitoring the trackball and the keyboard and means for conveying control signal information, all in IR formats.
A feature of the invention involves using the trackball arrangement in conjunction with an activate key switch that is operated by depression of the trackball.
In another aspect of the invention, claimed herein, television operating functions are screen selectable by movement of the cursor adjacent to a specific operating function area on the viewing screen and the function is activated by operating a corresponding activate switch.
In another feature of the invention claimed herein, the displacement information from the trackball is sent by IR command in fixed time periods that define a maximum excursion of the cursor. The cursor movement is divided into smaller increments for producing a continuous display of cursor movement on the screen.